He was cast in the lead role in the BBC's The Price of Coal (1977) directed by Ken Loach, allowing him to move beyond stand-up comedy.

He acted in many British television comedies and dramas including Last of the Summer Wine,[1] Hetty Wainthropp Investigates, All Creatures Great & Small, Our Friends in the North.

Notably, he starred in soap operas: Emmerdale as Albert Dingle, Coronation Street as garage-owner Ron Sykes, and his last acting role as Eddie Dawson in the sitcom Benidorm.

In 2012, a shoulder operation went wrong, disabling his right arm thus depriving him of his ability to play guitar which was a regular finale to his cabaret act on the cruise ships.

[citation needed] Knutt was married to athlete Donna Hartley-Wass,[1] a bronze medallist track-runner in the 1980 Olympic Games (4 × 400 m relay), from 20 January 1986 until her death in 2013.